Worksheet for calculating the distance from the Earth to Pluto
This worksheet accompanies the
full exercise for estimating the distance
from Earth to Pluto
using pictures taken at the RIT Observatory on July 4 and July 7, 2010.
- Task A:
- How far does Pluto appear to jump from July 3 to July 7,
in arcseconds?
- Task B:
- How far, dE,
does the Earth move between the two pictures, in km?
- Task C:
- What is your value for the distance L between
the Earth and Pluto, in km?
- Task D:
- What is your value for the distance L between
the Earth and Pluto, expressed in AU?
- Task E:
- Use your first, rough guess for the distance between
Earth and Pluto and the equation above to
calculate the speed of Pluto in its orbit.
- Task F:
- How far dP
does Pluto move during the period between the two pictures, in km?
- Task G:
- What is the distance L2 from Pluto
to the skinny end of the big triangle, in AU?
- Task H:
- What is your value for the improved distance L1
from the Earth to Pluto, in AU?
How does this new value compare with the actual distance
of 30.9 AU?